By now, you should know that Wal-Mart is not exactly the best loved corporation in the U.S. Although (or perhaps because) it is one of the largest, richest, and most powerful companies in the world, it has consistently been criticized for exploitation of its employees, suppliers, and the environment. Like thousands, perhaps millions of people, I try to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart as much as possible. And as Co-Op America reports, these collective protests against Wal-Mart are apparently making a difference:

The New York Times reported that Wal-Mart is on track to report disappointing holiday numbers, despite an early start with in-store discounts and promotions and unprecedented television and print advertising. Fortune magazine announced its top 100 companies for 2006 and Wal-Mart, despite its status as one of the largest corporations in the world, failed to make the list.

Investors are voicing their concerns and demands for change with Wal-Mart in record numbers. KLD, a corporate social research fund, has announced that it is dropping Wal-Mart from its Domini 400 Social Index because the company is unable to ensure that vendors adhere to labor and human-rights standards.

But perhaps Roben Farzad, writer for Business Week, said it best in his recent commentary: “Leave it to Wal-Mart to double its profit to more than $10 billion dollars in five years . . . only to see its share price fall 13% over the same period. . . . Wal-Mart’s relentless pursuit of low costs and all the PR baggage that comes with it is the root of that malaise. . . .

Worthwhile customers just don’t want to feel bad about where they shop. To change that, Wal-Mart needs to quit its low cost race to the bottom. Charging a bit more will make it possible to pay workers a dignified wage and add some spunk, color, and cheer to its moribund stores.”

Thanks to you, concern about Wal-Mart is becoming widespread. Religious, labor, and community groups, as well as citizens from the heartland to Wall Street, now agree with us that Wal-Mart’s race for low costs is bad for business, for people, and for the planet.

Like I tell my students, one person working alone may or may not be able to make much of a difference in trying to change the way a giant corporation like Wal-Mart works. However, working in conjunction with others who share a common goal -- as this update about Wal-Mart shows -- the results can be much more dramatic.